Re the housing assistance - then I’m really confused, since the OP thought it might come in.
Double checked. It said rental assistance and he stated that if she gets it, the state would pay him directly for up to six months, ending in January. I don’t really see how there can be a ten year wait for a short-term payment. I know our systems are slightly more favourable (though actually, TBH, they’re really difficult in the UK too) but that doesn’t add up.
The difference is because in the US what you get as a social safety net varies from place to place. I don’t know where the OP is (where did our location fields go?). The available rental assistance in, say, New York City or Baltimore or Austin, TX is all going to be different.
When I asked about rental assistance it was 2009 in unincorporated (non-municipal) Lake County, Indiana. A thoroughly Red and Republican run state. No state assistance with rent, around here that comes from the county, which is Blue/Democrat, and in rare instances from a Federal program (because let’s make this as complicated as possible, ok?) Last I heard my county STILL has no rental assistance program for covid, although, since at this point I’m employed with a living wage, I haven’t kept up with this issue since it doesn’t personally affect me at this point in time.
In contrast, in Chicago, Illinois, about 10 km away, there is much more in the way of rental assistance. It’s still a pain in the butt to get, but without the multi-year waiting list.
The Year of Covid has also thrown a wrench (or spanner, if you like) in the works. In a lot of cases there’s no money for rent assistance, but also a block on evictions. The landlords just have to eat the loss. While still paying utilities, taxes, etc.
It’s going to be ugly when the bills come due, which they will, eventually.
It’s shown on the user’s pop-up card. Click my purple L next to my name on this post to see it.
But … they were not transferred from vBulletin; Discourse started with everybody’s location blank. Oh well.
To set yours, open your user page (click your icon at upper right of any page), then select Preferences from the top menu then Profile from the left menu. After you fill out whichever boxes you want, don’t forget to scroll waaay down to see and click [Save Changes].
In my case I have set my Timezone and Location entries and left everything else on that page blank. The “Semi-retired” that appears on my user card below my username and above my Charter Member comes from the Name box on the Preferences >> Account page.
OP here again. I think SciFiSam has me confused with another poster when it comes to abortions and adoptions. I didn’t espouse any views on either. I do question the wisdom of not taking the necessary precautions, including abstinence, to prevent pregnancy while unemployed and unable to pay for housing during a pandemic.
I consulted with a lawyer and he recommended starting eviction proceedings immediately, knowing that nothing will happen until January at the earliest. This involves giving notice and allowing time for the problems to be remedied. The wall painting isn’t a huge issue itself. Its more the idea of not asking first, as the lease requires. I have real problem with the pets. The lease says no pets. She asked for an exception and I said no. The dog hasn’t appeared in any pictures since May when it was a tiny puppy so I have a feeling it may not be there any longer. I can’t just show up unannounced and enter the house which gives her chance to hide any evidence of pets. I’m just going to ask her directly. I got paid $500 on $2600 back rent and another $1300 is due next week. Its a step in the right direction, albeit a small one.
Selling rental house to an investor is easier if it is currently leased than non-leased.
Apologies - you’re right, I skim-read and saw that someone else with a name beginning with M was responding a lot. Hey, at least I didn’t tear into you 
The dog picture might well have just been a dog that was visiting rather than her own pet. I understand you not wanting pets - it’s horrible for tenants (especially if they already have pets and are forced to move for no fault of their own), but they do create extra mess, and if it’s in the contract then that’s that.
Glad you’ve got some movement towards the back rent being paid.
Her FB pic with both the dog and the cat is accompanied by a caption where she refers to “my puppy” and “my cat”. She is now selling a dog crate because “my puppy has outgrown it.” In accordance with NJ law, I must give her an opportunity to remedy the situation(s) - I send out the certified letter next week.
I’d suggest that sentence needs a tweak:
Selling rental house to an investor is easier if it is currently leased to a paying tenant than non-leased or leased to a known deadbeat with a multi-month arrearage that’s still growing.
No. Rent default insurance exists but it’s not very common. I just looked into it it briefly and the companies that issue such policies vet the tenant carefully and will only insure leases with tenants that have stellar payment histories. Which only makes sense, otherwise landlords would buy insurance instead of vetting their tenants.
I recommend filing the eviction papers ASAP. It takes forever, your tenant will not be in any imminent danger. But it will make her take you seriously.
And it may be the best way For her to get housing assistance. I can’t speak for other locations, but I know that NYC has a robust program specifically for people who have had eviction cases filed against them. That program includes rent assistance and legal aid.
I’m not crazy about these programs…long story short, I had to evict a dangerous person that was sharing my apartment and I really felt the city’s efforts to prevent the eviction amounted to interference in my case.
But I also know it makes sense in most cases, even though it sucked for me.
PS- @MikeF ,if you live in New York City by any chance, PM me. I might have a resource that could help you.
All I know is that landlord insurance is common in the UK, and I think is usually required if you have a mortgage on the home you’re letting out. The insurance won’t pay out if you don’t vet the tenants, so having insurance doesn’t mean no vetting - quite the opposite.
Different countries, of course.
Fair enough.
I am a landlord myself, I moved away from NYC last year and decided to rent out my apartment rather than buy it. I am lucky in that I found a perfect tenant.
But I don’t like renters thinking “it’s no big deal if I miss my rent, some big insurance company is taking the loss, not my sweet old lady landlord.”
I have a good friend, an older woman, that owns a really high value home free and clear- she bought it with settlement money. But, aside from that, she has nothing. She’s retired and lives in a basement apartment in her home. She rents out the rest of the house as one unit (it’s not cheap). The rental income from this house is her only source of income.
She was really terrified when these proposals for suspending all rent and mortgage payments because pandemic were being floated - because she doesn’t have a mortgage and needs her rent payments to survive,
I think the insurance here usually also requires the landlord to take steps to retrieve the money - it’s not a get-out for tenants, either, it just means that, if the landlord really does do all they’re supposed to, then they won’t be out of pocket.
Maybe in some areas but certainly not in Ontario and much of Canada. Unless there is a housing surplus, having a tenant does the exact opposite - it often reduces property values since tenant laws severely restrict what you can do with a rental unit and depending on the individual lease terms when you can do it (if your renewer is in a 5 year lease, you’re stuck for 5 years)
As I note in my previous post, paying tenants are almost impossible to get rid of unless the owner or an immediate family member moves in themselves. The negatives are exacerbated when the property rents for below market value rent.
An elderly aunt & uncle sold a rental property last year. The tenant had lived there for +30 years, They were getting about 50% of the rent it would be worth in the 2019 market.
They offered him cash to move but he refused. In the end they got about $75,000 less for the property than what it would have been worth with no tenant. His lease was month to month and the new owner immediately evicted him and moved his son into the property for a year. After that he’ll jack it up to market rate.
My aunt and uncle told the guy he was an idiot for not taking their cash offer to vacate but he was a stubborn old prick and got evicted anyway, but regardless it still cost them $75K.
If she ever gets into financial trouble from tenants not paying, an option would be for her to take out a mortgage or HELOC on the house. Obviously there are complications from that, but the equity in her house can be used as bridge income until the rent situation gets resolved.
Ann_Hedonia
Alas, I am a denizen of the Garden State. Don’t ask me why because I don’t have a rational answer.
After months of waiting, I found out yesterday that my tenant qualifies for the assistance program. I have until tomorrow to get the required paperwork in. After more than two months of waiting they gave me two days to return signed documents from tenant, bank rep and myself. Thank god for scanners and email. The whole eviction thing is now on hold for, probably, six months.
That’s great news. I hope things continue to work out for the best for you.